I RX’d my first double under WOD…and it took FOREVER!

byJen DeCurtinsonAugust 12, 2013

Exciting news on the CrossFit front. Today I RX’d my first WOD with double unders ever! It took me forever and I was the last one to finish by 5 minutes but I did it!

I was really looking forward to doing this WOD. I love chippers and this looked like a great workout to kick off my week! The burpee box jumps were pretty terrible (they always are) and I did step ups for some of them because I had this nagging feeling that today was the day I would miss a box jump and bust my shins. The pull ups took eternity but I kipped every one of them. I went into the WOD thinking that I would do 25 pullups and 25 ring rows or move to a band but once I got going my stubbornness kicked in and I kept kipping, even though I was only getting 3-4 at a time. Push press and air squats were the easiest part of the workout. I thought I was going to do 2:1 singles to replace the double unders but after I struggled through the pull ups there was NO WAY I was finishing this workout without an RX.

I was the last one to finish but I didn’t even care. I was so proud of my accomplishment!

I never take the 9:30 a.m. class but reader Hannah was in town from Philly for a job interview and wanted to drop in for a class so I met her to workout. It was so great to connect after a couple of years of messaging. Also, Hannah kicked ass in the WOD! 🙂

Pre-workout breakfast was sourdough toast with a scrambled egg and melted white cheddar with watermelon on the side.

Post-workout lunch was an awesome wrap with portobello, hummus, roasted red peppers, avocado, cilantro and feta. It was a unique flavor combination but it worked so well.

Backing up to Sunday for a minute. I survived a 4 mile run in 86 degree heat and then went to the grocery to get lunch supplies. All I wanted was a sandwich, chips, a pickle and a lemonade Vitamin Water.

Sunday night dinner was ridiculous! I was so proud of myself for coming up with this combo. I served mahi burgers over cabbage slaw and topped them with guacamole and then had farmers market sliced tomatoes, chili-lime corn and sauteed zuchhini, squash and shishito peppers on the side. I am so loving summer flavors right now. I am NOT ready for fall!

Congrats!!! DUs and not knowing how to kip definitely prohibits me from RXing…well, also my size (4’10”, <100#) prevents me from doing them RX'd as my max lifts tend to be what the women's weight calls for, hah! I've only RX'd two WODs in my year of doing CrossFit but I was incredibly stoked about those! Way to go on the DUs again, and you're right – who cares about time when you're RX!! 😀

thanks nicki – wow, i’m sure your size does impact your ability to do heavy barbell wods. i can’t imagine! the RX must call for close to what you weigh sometimes! we have some really petite girls at our gym too and i LOVE watching them workout. so strong! what i do love about crossfit is that it’s so scalable and everyone can workout together!

That portobello sandwich looks redunkulous! I have not had a good sandwich wrap in a while and that looks divine. I LOVE summer and even though it is hot as heck down here in Houston, I love everything about summer. CONGRATS on the RXD! 🙂

“In this year’s 13.2, the box jump evolved again during the CrossFit Open, resulting in a safer movement, virtually no criticism, and perhaps most importantly, no laundry list of injury reports from CrossFit athletes worldwide.

‘For the jump, you can do a two foot take-off or a one foot take off,’ the 13.2 standards declared, a huge change from the normally prescribed two footed take-off. Athletes still had to reach full hip extension at the top of the box, but for the first time, step-ups would also be allowed for all divisions.

Just a year before, CrossFit eliminated bounding box jumps and this year would be no different. Additionally, if an athlete was concerned about their safety, whether for their Achilles or a nasty box jump fall, it was completely fine to avoid jumping altogether. Some might say that step-ups are a different movement that take away the intensity of the workout, but chances are you’d be hard pressed to find a single athlete who thought 13.2 was too easy.

Like any sport, CrossFit will continue to evolve.”

also, i love subbing step ups for box jumps in workouts sometimes because i feel them so much more in my butt!

Ahhhh that is amazing!! Congratulations. What an awesome feeling. 🙂 I am loving summer running right now, but I am ok with fall coming soon too. . . That’s what I love about MN – the 4 different seasons, each one brings something different.

Congrats Jen! I ran in the heat on Saturday too and nearly DIED!!! Running in the heat makes it SO much harder! I hope to set a personal record at the gym today and do two pull ups…. haha weak but have to start somewhere right?!

Anything with muscle ups or heavy snatches is a no-go for me. My snatch form is so terrible that even if I can do the weight, it would put me at a risk for injury or just reinforce bad habits. There is always something to work on.

Overhead Squats. I literally cannot get the bar far enough behind me and if I try to squat, I fall over. It’s pretty disastrous! Muscle-ups are impossible as well. I’ve yet to try them on a bar (only on rings) and I really have the vision in my head I can do it. it just doesn’t work out. Nice job on the DU’s!!! Something clicked with me a few months ago and I’m finally able to string together 10-15 at a time.

I still haven’t grasped double unders. I tried progressing from ring rows to jumping pull ups but i just don’t have that upper body strength to get the most out of it. Right now, my biggest challenge is mixing marathon training with Crossfit. I’m trying to get all my miles and speedwork without comprimising the strength gains I’ve made in Crossfit- its exhausting!

Even though I have been doing crossfit for about 5 yrs (private sessions) I still have some trouble with the language – what does Rxing mean? and what is a chipper? I wish crossfit had been around when I was younger. There are some things I despair of ever being able to do that I am sure I could have done 25 yrs ago. Sigh. WIll keep trying.

I'm Jen and I'm a personal trainer, yoga teacher and the author of Ultimate Plank Fitness and The Complete Guide to Yoga Inversions. I live in Charlotte, NC and share daily updates about food, fitness, yoga and life with two golden retrievers! You can reach me at jen@peanutbutterrunner.com.